Oh hi there! Welcome to the latest installment of Gotta Know Ingredients. (A fake game show we’ve just made up.) Today, we're putting the spotlight on peptides: The potent skin care ingredient with plenty of proven benefits. (More on that in a bit.)
So, if you’ve ever wondered what they are, how they help your skin, or who their favourite Spice Girl is, stick around, Go-To's formulations team is here to explain.
What Are Peptides?
Peptides are short chains of amino acids. Ingrid explains that “peptides are much smaller than proteins and can be defined as chains of less than 50 amino acids.” Think of them as the building blocks of things like proteins and collagen.
How Do Peptides Benefit The Skin?
So! Many! Ways! Ingrid tells us that peptides are known to have a number of proven skin benefits, including “a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and an increase in the smoothness and firmness of skin.”
When it comes to formulating skin care, peptides are often included to help work to support your skin’s ability to produce collagen, targeting the signs of ageing (loss of elasticity, fine lines) and leaving the skin lovely and plump.
In other words: They’re a total skin care saviour.
What Skin Types Can Use Peptides?
Any! All! But because of their fierce anti-ageing benefits, they’re most often recommended for anyone looking to target the signs of ageing (in the form of sagging, fine lines, loss of elasticity, etc.)
Much Plumper Skin's Peptides Explained
Our brand cult-favourite, ultra-hydrating serum, Much Plumper Skin, has been formulated with peptides to promote firmness and elasticity, help minimise the appearance of wrinkles, improve skin texture by increasing smoothness, and just generally level-up your skin care routine.
“They chosen to be included in Much Plumper Skin due to its studied benefits of which include a reduction in the appearance of fine lines and an improvement in the smoothness and firmness of skin,” explains Ingrid.
Very Luxe Lifting Mask's Peptides Explained
Best of all! Peptides come in many mighty forms. This lets our formulators make considered choices when it comes to creating new products, using the ideal peptide to deliver the ideal result. In Very Luxe Lifting Mask, that looks like Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate—a fancy smancy peptide that's been inspired (buckets of emphasis on inspired) by an ingredient in snake venom.
"This was the one where we genuinely felt and saw a difference," shares Cat, our Formulations Technician. "There was a subtle tightening sensation on the skin, and once removed, the skin looked more plump and hydrated. I actually received an unexpected compliment on my skin after trialing later that day. It was one of those telling moments that really stuck with us.”
Very Luxe Lip's Peptides Explained
Third and finally, you'll find peptides powering our uber luxe lip product, Very Luxe Lips. Specifically palmitoyl tripeptide-1 to helps tackle the appearance of wrinkles and texture to leave lips looking smoother and more supple. It's also famed for its plumping abilities, shown to visibly cushion the lips and reduce wrinkle depth* for a more even, fuller pout.
"With this product, we wanted to deliver the comfort of a balm with the performance of a treatment," says Cat. "At the heart of the formulation is a multi-mechanism lip volumising system that creates fullness without stinging or tingling, led by palmitoyl tripeptide-1. This ingredient helps plumps the lips, to help them look smoother and more pillowy over time."
Ingredients To Avoid When Using Peptides
Ready to put some pep(..tides) (sorry) in your routine? Before you do, Ingrid’s got a tip to ensure you don’t accidentally impact the efficacy by mixing it with the wrong ingredients.
While peptides will play well with most other ingredients, “as an added precaution we would also recommend that if you are going to use an AHA in your routine use it before you apply the serum and rinse it off before using Much Plumper Skin,” she advises.
Peptides are highly active ingredients. That makes them highly effective but also highly impactful on your skin. As always, we recommend patch testing to make sure our peptide-powered skincare is right for you.
Got A Peptide Q We Didn’t Cover?
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